A serious industrial hemp processing facility in north-central Ukraine will quickly start receiving its first harvest after a profitable rising season, marking a big step within the nation’s ongoing revival of its historic hashish economic system. Developed by the Ma’Rijani Hemp Firm, the power is situated on the Ma’Rizhany industrial park within the Zhytomyr area. The power will initially give attention to lengthy fiber manufacturing for the textile trade.
The launch follows the primary full cultivation season for the challenge, which noticed industrial hemp develop to heights of two–3 meters in close by fields. Harvesting is now underway in fields inside a 20-kilometer radius of the commercial park, the place greater than 1,600 hectares can be found for cultivation. Whereas it’s unclear how a lot of this complete space contributed to the present manufacturing batch, the harvest marks the start of full-scale operations on the new facility.
In a March 2025 replace, the corporate mentioned it had agreements to supply hemp from 700 hectares, aiming to extend that to at the very least 1,200 hectares by signing long-term contracts with native farmers.
“Centuries of Ukrainian hashish custom are revived after a long time of oblivion and prohibition,” mentioned Ma’Rijani consultant Dmytro Kysylevskyy in a latest Fb put up. “It’s a greater monetary assure for the farms that can grow to be companions of the commercial park.”
Objectives for enlargement
The manufacturing facility’s present processing capability exceeds 10,000 tons of hemp biomass yearly, with plans to scale as much as 20,000 tons by increasing cultivation to 4,000 hectares.
Kysylevskyy mentioned the corporate is encouraging native growers to shift from “unstable and politicized grain provides to the European Union” towards hemp, which he described as a extra dependable, regionally anchored alternative. Current tensions between Ukraine and a few of its EU neighbors—particularly Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia—over grain exports have sparked commerce restrictions and farmer protests, drawing the agriculture sector right into a broader political battle.
That politicization additionally extends to hemp seed after a senior anti-corruption official was not too long ago arrested for allegedly serving to his father export 20 tons to Russia in violation of wartime commerce bans. The case uncovered enforcement gaps and lingering corruption dangers regardless of new transparency measures.
Platform for trade
Preliminary output deliberate from the Ma’Rizhany plant contains high-quality technical lengthy fibers for textiles and shorter fibers for nonwoven purposes akin to insulation and paper. Plans embrace finally capturing hemp hurd for development supplies.
The Ma’Rizhany industrial park is envisioned as a hub for innovation in hemp-based manufacturing. With area obtainable for enlargement, the challenge goals to draw secondary processors to transform uncooked supplies into completed items akin to yarn, packaging, sustainable paper, and insulation.
Constructed on the grounds of a former flax mill, the manufacturing facility represents a $25 million funding thus far. If absolutely realized, the location may finally make use of 700 staff and help processing of 12,000 tons of hemp biomass yearly, with complete funding projected at $100 million.
Laying the groundwork
The challenge is a part of a broader nationwide push to reestablish Ukraine as a worldwide chief in hemp manufacturing, supported by regulatory reforms and rising international demand. Ukraine’s adoption of a medical hashish regulation and rollout of an digital hemp registry have streamlined paperwork, permitting hemp to be handled like some other agricultural crop.
With projections of regular development, hemp acreage in Ukraine may climb from an estimated 3,000 hectares this yr towards 8,000 hectares in future seasons. Whereas precise figures stay unsure resulting from ongoing battle and environmental dangers, the launch of industrial-scale processing in Zhytomyr is seen as a significant milestone.
“Demand for hemp fiber on the worldwide market is rising,” mentioned Kysylevskyy. “That provides us actual momentum.”
